A 23-year-old man was convicted in February 2022 of murdering his romantic partner in what the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office is calling a hate crime.
Kylen Pratt, 23, received a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, followed by a consecutive term of 4.5 to 9 years on Friday for the 2022 murder of 20-year-old Naasire Johnson, prosecutors said.
“Make no mistake: the murder of Naasire Johnson was a hate crime. Kylen Pratt did not want anyone to know about his romantic involvement with the victim,” Assistant District Attorney Cydney Pope said Monday.
According to the district attorney’s office, on February 17, 2022, Johnson took an Uber from his parents’ home in West Philly to Pratt’s home in the 2900 block of Oxford Street in Brewerytown.
Shortly after Johnson arrived at the Brewerytown home early that morning, investigators said, Pratt shot the 20-year-old in the neck, killing him, and then took his body to a secluded trail in Fairmount Park, where he disposed of the body burned.
Prosecutors said two people found Johnson’s remains later that afternoon, but authorities were only able to identify the 20-year-old through DNA analysis.
In February 2022, Johnson’s grandmother told CBS News Philadelphia that police took her grandson’s toothbrush and comb to see if the DNA matched that of a body found along Kelly Drive the week before. His grandmother said she was the one who reported him missing the week before.
Authorities received an anonymous tip that led them to launch an investigation into Pratt, the prosecutor’s office said. Investigators obtained a warrant, first for Pratt’s cell phone, which connected him to Johnson at the time of the murder, and also at Fairmount Park.
According to the prosecutor, police also found disturbing Google searches, including: “characteristics of a psychopath,” “having sex with dead bodies” and “killing in cold blood,” as well as searches for news coverage of Johnson’s remains are discovered.
Investigators later obtained a second warrant for Pratt’s home, where they discovered that Johnson’s blood had soaked the carpet padding and hardwood floor, and that some of the carpet was heavily bleached. A 9mm semi-automatic handgun was recovered, providing investigators with forensic evidence linking Pratt to Johnson’s death, the prosecutor’s office said.
Pratt was arrested in June 2022 but convicted Friday of first-degree murder, abuse of a corpse, tampering with evidence and possession of a criminal offense, officials said.
“These types of crimes are not just individual tragedies. They infect entire communities,” said Minister Sultan Hakeem Pitts of the Interfaith Community. “LGBTQIA people, especially Black and brown people, are disproportionately affected by these hate crimes, causing deep and lasting mental health problems for our community.”
Pitts continued to say that no amount of punishment could ever heal the pain left behind from Johnson’s untimely death.
“He was and is a complete person and more than just a name, with love, with light, with intelligence and with potential. His death has left an indelible mark on our hearts,” Pitts said.
